About Bursa

ABOUT BURSA

Bursa (historically also known as Prusa and in Greek Μουδανία) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. With a population of 2.562.828 in 2007, it is Turkey's fourth largest city, as well as one of the most industrialized and culturally charged metropolitan centers of the country.

KEY FEATURES

EDUCATION:

• Uludağ University which is one of populated universities of Turkey has more than 40.000 students, 2050 professors and lecturers and 1750 administrative staff.
• Second university of the city is in establishment phase.
• Number of secondary education institutions is 175. There are also 57 non-formal educational institutions in Bursa Province.
• 140.000 students are still educated in secondary education.
• Which is equal to 34.000, about 20 percent of them  are vocational students.

ECONOMY:

• Bursa is the center of the Turkish automotive industry.
• Factories of motor vehicle producers like Fiat-Tofaş and Oyak-Renault, as well as automotive parts producers like Robert Bosch GmbH have been active in the city for decades.
• The total number of vehicles which are exported from Turkey is 637.855. The number of vehicles which are exported from Bursa is 397.918 units (62,38 percent of national export).
• 2 billion USDs of auto spare parts were exported during 2009.
• Textile and food industries are equally strong.
• Some national and global beverages brands, as well as fresh, canned, frozen and processed food industries are present in the city's organized industrial zones.
• Various kind of plantal and animal products are produced in farms were placed in the surrounding fertile plain of Bursa.
• 11 organized industrial zones are still activated in Bursa Province.
• Another important project for the city is Ulutek Technology Development Zone was established in Görükle Campus of Uludağ University in 2005.

HISTORY:

• Brief historical account of Bursa is going back to 4000 B.C.
• Early Byzantines and the Eastern Roman Empire had left too many footprints in Bursa as far back as Hellenistic period.
• It is a very important center for Christians, İznik (Nicea) is located in Bursa at the same time. İznik is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian church. İznik has been a district center of Bursa Province since 1930.
• Bursa is also a very important city in Ottoman history. The city was the first major capital city of the early Ottoman Empire following its capture from the Byzantines in 1326.
• The mausoleums of early Ottoman sultans are located in Bursa.
• Numerous edifices built throughout the Ottoman period constitute the city's main landmarks.
• The city has traditionally been a pole of attraction, and was a major center for refugees from various ethnic backgrounds who immigrated to Anatolia from the Balkans during the loss of the Ottoman territories in Europe between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• After the industrialization were started in 1950s, city has still been attractive for immigrant workers.

SOCIAL LIFE: